Method of facilitating contact between mutually interested people

ABSTRACT

A computer-readable non-transitory physical storage medium having stored thereon machine-executable code for electronically facilitating contact between mutually interested entities, said machine-executable code to be executed by a microprocessor, said machine executable code which when executed by said microprocessor causes the microprocessor to perform operations including suggesting to a first user other users that first user may be interested in, where the suggested other users are filtered based on their location, causing a device to display a graphical user interface (GUI) for the first user to input a rating of the first user&#39;s level of interest in one or more respects in at least one other user, accepting the first user&#39;s level of interest rating via the GUI while not displaying the first user&#39;s rating to the at least one other user, and electronically notifying a pair of users that have rated each other above a threshold level.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/537,333 filed Nov. 29, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 17/467,311 filed Sep. 6, 2021, which is aDivisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/225,214 filed Apr. 8, 2021,now U.S. Pat. 11,163,789, which is a continuation of U.S. applicationSer. No. 15/917,515 filed Mar. 9, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,977,270,which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/589,995 filedJan. 5, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,934,297, which is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 12/000,596, filed Dec. 14, 2007, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,935,296, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.60/874,701 filed Dec. 14, 2006, all of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

To the extent any amendments, characterizations, or other assertionspreviously made in any related patent applications or patents, includingany parent, sibling, or child, with respect to any art, prior orotherwise, could be construed as a disclaimer of any subject mattersupported by the present disclosure of this application, Applicanthereby rescinds and retracts such disclaimer. Applicant alsorespectfully submits that any prior art previously considered in anyrelated patent applications or patents, including any parent, sibling,or child, may need to be re-visited.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of computer software,particularly online dating and social networking sites.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The birth of the internet has revolutionized all manner of humancommunications. One form of human interaction that has adaptedsuccessfully to the internet is dating. Numerous websites have sprung upto support the interest in online dating services. Relationships arefrequently forged in online chats and on message boards. Meetingpotential mates over the internet offers the advantage of convenienceand selection. Yet many of the problems that make it difficult to meet aromantic partner in traditional settings remain in online datingservices.

One major obstacle to identifying potential romantic partners is fear ofrejection. In a traditional setting or in an online dating service, oneperson has to make the first move. That person is opening themselves upto rejection by the party to whom advances are made. On an online datingservice such as Match.com, or U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,951, that risk isalleviated by the relative anonymity of members and the fact that theyinteract from a distance. Nevertheless, this fear remains a factor bothin preventing members from contacting one another and in preventingpeople from joining the site in the first place. For this reason,Match.com introduced a new “wink” option on its website. The “wink”allows members to indicate interest in another member without sending apersonal message. Because interaction between the parties is limited,rejection is less of an issue. Nevertheless, this innovation does notsolve the problem. “Wink”ing is still a unilateral advance and cannotdetermine a mutual interest.

Other websites have been created in an attempt to solve this problem.Sites such as secretadmirer.com, ecrush.com, and crushdate.com offer aservice whereby members can determine whether their love interests sharean attraction for them. After signing up, the member inputs the emailaddresses of his romantic interests. These people receive emails fromthe site informing them that someone is interested in them and askingthem to become site members themselves. When they sign up, the newmembers enter the email addresses of their romantic interests. Whenevertwo people list each other as romantic interests, the site sends anemail to both parties letting them know of the mutual attraction.

These websites do not effectively deal with the problem of shyness andfear of rejection. Users must take affirmative action and sign up at thesite and the people they email must do so as well. More than likely thepeople who receive emails will believe they are spam and simply deletethem. The member who caused the emails to be sent will never knowwhether those people are not interested in him or whether they simplydeleted the email. Furthermore, it requires a person to know the emailaddress of the person they are interested in. The method is alsounlikely to result in matches between people with moderate interest ineach other. People will not go to the effort of finding and entering theemail address of everyone they are even somewhat attracted to. At most,they will enter the addresses of those they have a very strong interestin.

Another attempt at solving this problem can be found in Sutcliffe et al(U.S. Pat. No. 6,249,282). In Sutcliffe, a user enters a number ofcharacteristic and criteria data describing his or herself and the kindof people he or she is interested in dating, respectively, into a commondatabase. The Sutcliffe program then searches through the database tofind users whose characteristic data satisfy the user's criteria dataand whose criteria data is satisfied by the user's characteristic data.When it finds a match, the program notifies the user and providescontact information for the matches.

A similar method is used with a paging device in Shapira (U.S. Pat. No.5,086,394). In Shapira, personal data such as traits and interests areentered into a device at a central location. The device searches formatching entries satisfying geographic and time constraints and pagesusers when a match is found. Fraccaroli (U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,768) doesessentially the same thing but for cell phone users.

Sutcliffe, Shapiro, and Fraccaroli are imperfect solutions. They reallyonly automate to some extent the process of finding potential romanticpartners who are compatible. One user still must approach the other, andmay still be rejected. Any set of data input is insufficient toencompass the many poorly understood factors that go into a mutualattraction or lack thereof. Additionally, the members are stillstrangers and cannot rely on the information provided by the otherparty. Many shy people will still be unwilling to join such a site orservice.

Another attempt at resolving this difficulty is Sudai et al (U.S. Pat.No. 5,950,200). The Sudai method is much like that of thesecretadmirer.com type of websites. Users input the identities ofpersons who they are attracted to or who share mutual interests. Theinputs are stored in a database and searched repeatedly for matches,that is, for two people who feel the same way about each other. When amatch is found, both users will be notified unless both agree that oneof the parties should initiate (they have input this preferencepreviously), in which case that party is informed before the other. Thissystem suffers from the major flaw that both users must be members ofthis service. Like the secretadmirer.com websites, it will also resultin few matches between people with only moderate attraction for oneanother because it requires each user to manually enter the names ofpeople they are interested in.

Another obstacle that online dating sites do not resolve is the limitedamount of information available about a potential date. Because themembers are generally strangers, they have no way to verify thetruthfulness of the other party's statements about themselves. This isan enormous problem in online dating. Many members are married but passthemselves off as single or portray themselves in a much more desirablelight than is warranted. When the members meet in real life, they may bevery disappointed by what they see, or may not learn of the otherparty's deception until well into the relationship, leading toheartbreak and pain. Members may even be subjected to physical violencewhen they meet for the first time.

One way to deal with this obstacle is to meet people that you alreadyknow or who know people who you also know. You then have a basis fordetermining the truthfulness of those peoples' representations ofthemselves. One efficient way of finding and communicating with peoplewho share contacts with you is through a social networking site such asFriendster (Friendster.com, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,069,308 and 7,117,254 B2).These sites allow you to know and view information about the friends andother contacts of your friends and contacts.

The sites thus provide users with an efficient means of identifyingpeople they may have an interest in and whose information they canverify. However, no system exists for the full exploitation of thesocial network phenomenon for facilitating the meeting of people with amutual interest. These sites do not have a process by which members canindicate an interest in other members and be automatically contactedwhen the interest is mutual.

Lists of contacts are also often stored in “buddy lists” (See U.S. Pat.No. 6,366,962) in online messaging software or in cell phones. AlthoughFraccaroli uses cell phones to notify users of matches, it does not takeadvantage of the contact lists in users' cell phones.

Needs exist for improved methods of facilitating contact betweenmutually interested parties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is software that enables users of communicationtechnologies such as cell phones, instant messaging, and socialnetworking engines to date romantically people on their contact listswithout the risk of rejection.

The invention will preferably be integrated (or done via a separatewebsite with “friends” imported into an account) with a socialnetworking website such as Friendster, MySpace, or Facebook, an instantmessaging software such as AOL Instant Messenger or MSN Messenger,and/or a cell phone. If a separate website is used, alone or incombination with the integrated software, that website can collect andcompile a user's contacts from each of these technologies, allowing theuser to set ratings and software options and preferences from a centrallocation. The users will rate their friends, buddies, or contacts on ascale of 1-10, or not interested, possibly interested, or veryinterested or some other such rating scheme. The ratings will be blindand neither user will expressly know the ratings their friends givethem.

Once each user rates a counterpart a certain level, say “interested” or6+ then they will both get notified. In a preferred embodiment of theinvention, the notification is effected by an email stating that theremay be a match with that friend. The notification may also take the formof an instant message, cell phone text message, or other similarcommunication, and may be effected by a different means for each party.Ads may be sold in the notification suggesting possible date locationsor events to go to. The notification also will provide context-specificrelationship advice. This advice may vary depending on the relativeratings of each party for one another, and could include suggestions ofhow best to contact and establish a baseline relationship with the otheruser.

In another embodiment, users have the ability to set a preference forone party to initiate. If both parties agree, only the initiating partywill be contacted when a match occurs. The other party will be notifiedsome time later.

In an alternative embodiment, the invention, at the user's option, maysuggest other users the first user might be interested in who the firstuser does not know based on comparison of the first user's ratings withother users'. In another embodiment, users may “matchmake,” suggestingpotential matches to other users they know.

The present invention may also be used outside of a dating context, forexample in forming business or any other type of relationships. Therating system is simply modified to reflect the changed type ofinterest.

In a new method of facilitating contact between mutually interestedentities, a graphical interface is provided for a user to rate its levelof interest in one or more respects in at least one other user from apre-existing list of contacts, the user's ratings are not displayed toother users, and a pair of users is notified when each user's rating forthe other has exceeded a threshold level. The graphical interfaceprovided may be a modification of an existing graphical interface of asocial networking site, instant messaging software, cell phone, or PDA.The existing graphical interface may be an existing graphical interfaceof two or more social networking sites, instant messaging software, orcell phones, in which case lists of contacts from each are combined sothat a user can rate contacts from at least two of the two or moresocial networking sites, instant messaging software, cell phones, orPDAs from a single graphical interface. User settings or preferences maybe set and adjusted for all the modified graphical interfaces from acentral location. User settings or preferences may be set and adjustedfor all the modified graphical interfaces from any one of the modifiedgraphical interfaces.

In one embodiment, the pre-existing list of contacts is from a socialnetworking site, instant messaging software, cell phone, or PDA, and thegraphical interface is provided on a separate website. The pair of usersfurther may be notified by sending an email, instant message, or cellphone text message. A graphical interface may be provided to allow theuser to set the way in which it is notified. When the pair of users isnotified, the pair of users may be sent suggestions for date or meetinglocations, events to go to, general relationship or dating advice, orcontext-specific relationship advice. The suggestions or advice mayinclude advertisements. The context-specific advice may vary dependingon the relative ratings of each of the pair of users for the other. Thecontext-specific advice may include suggestions of how to best contactand establish a baseline relationship with the other of the pair ofusers.

A graphical interface may be provided for users to set a preference forone party to initiate and the notification of the pair of users may bemodified based on the preference of the pair of users. The notificationmay be modified by notifying one user of the pair before the other whenboth prefer one party to initiate. At least one user of the pair may benotified of the preference for one party to initiate of the other.

Other users that a first user may be interested in may be suggested to afirst user based on a comparison of the first user's ratings with otherusers'. The other users suggested may not be on the first user'spre-existing list of contacts. The other users suggested may be usersrated highly by users other than the first user who rate the users onthe first user's pre-existing list of contacts similarly to the firstuser. The suggesting may be done only when the user has opted to receivesuch suggestions.

A graphical interface may be provided to allow the user to match-make bysuggesting potential matches to other users they know. The user may beallowed to choose not to receive suggested potential matches. The usermay be allowed to choose whether to receive suggested potential matchesdepending on characteristics of the suggested potential match. Onemember of a suggested potential match may be notified if the other partyhas opted not to receive the suggested potential match. An option may beprovided for the other party to allow the notifying one party of asuggested potential match to include informing the one party of thereason the other party has opted not to receive the suggested potentialmatch.

In one embodiment, one of the one or more respects is a non-romanticrespect. The graphical interface for a user to rate its level ofinterest in one or more respects in at least one other user may beprovided in part by providing different access points and contact listsfor the user to rate its level of interest in romantic and non-romanticrespects. A single access point and contact list may be used for ratinginterest in romantic and non-romantic respects.

A graphical interface may be provided that allows a user to importcontacts from an instant messaging software, social networking site,PDA, or cell phone, and a comprehensive list of contacts for the user torate may be displayed.

When the graphical interface provided is a modification of an existinggraphical interface of a social networking site, instant messagingsoftware, cell phone, or PDA, a graphical interface may be provided thatallows the user to invite contacts who are not yet users of the socialnetworking site, instant messaging software, cell phone, or PDA with themodified graphical interface to join the social networking site, instantmessaging software, cell phone, or PDA with the modified graphicalinterface. Rating information may be stored on a social networking siteor in an instant messaging software or instant messaging softwareserver. If the graphical interface provided is a modification of anexisting graphical interface of a cell phone or PDA, the ratinginformation may be stored on an online server.

As part of the notification of a pair of users when each user's ratingfor the other has exceeded a threshold level, each contact the user hasrated above the threshold level may be checked to see if that contacthas also rated the user above that threshold level whenever a user ratesa new contact or changes an existing rating. To notify the pair ofusers, a single notification may be sent as soon as the pair's ratingsexceed the threshold level, and another notification may not be sentunless the ratings change such that one of the pair's ratings does notexceed the threshold level, and subsequently the pair's ratings changeagain such that each rating exceeds the threshold level. An indicatormay be provided to indicate for the user each contact on a pre-existinglist of contacts for which that contact's rating of the user and theuser's rating of that contact each exceed the threshold level.

A graphical interface may be provided that allows the user to set anumber of preferences regarding how contact lists and ratings aredisplayed and accessed. In the embodiment where the existing graphicalinterface may be an existing graphical interface of two or more socialnetworking sites, instant messaging software, or cell phones, a singlegraphical interface outside of the social networking sites, instantmessaging software, cell phones, or PDAs with modified graphicalinterfaces may be provided that the user can use to rate contacts fromat least two of the two or more social networking sites, instantmessaging software, cell phones, or PDAs. The single graphical interfaceoutside of the social networking sites, instant messaging software, cellphones, or PDAs with modified graphical interfaces may be a downloadableprogram or website. In that case, a central database of contact, rating,and preference information may be maintained with the downloadableprogram or website.

The graphical interface may be provided, the user's ratings notdisplayed to other users, and a pair of users notified using an existingwebsite and software infrastructure, making additional storage orservers or maintenance of a separate website are not necessary. Agraphical interface may be provided allowing the threshold level to bemodified by the user. The threshold level may be allowed to be modifiedupwards but not downwards. A graphical interface may be providedallowing a desired threshold level to be set by the user and setting thethreshold level to the highest desired threshold level of the pair ofusers.

An option may be provided to the user to receive relationship advicewhen the user rates another user highly but the other user does not ratethe user above the threshold level, when the user rates another usermore highly than the other user rates the user and the other user doesrate the user above the threshold level, or whenever a pair of usersincluding the user is notified. The user may be informed when anotheruser who the user has rated does not have a rating for the user. Anoption may be provided to the user to allow another user to be informedwhen the user does not have a rating for the other user, and otherwisethe other user is not informed.

The pre-existing list of contacts may be read, the list displayed,whether a new contact was added to the contact list is checked, if so agraphical notice provided for the user to rate the new contact, the listsorted according to rating, the sorted list displayed, the list scannedfor ratings exceeding the threshold level, and whether contacts ratedabove the threshold level have rated the user above the threshold levelis checked.

When the invention is integrated into a networking site, instantmessaging software, or cell phone or PDA, the method makes use of theexisting software of the networking site, instant messaging software, orcell phone or PDA. The method is implemented by programs using theexisting software infrastructure, thus minimizing the programmingexpertise required for implementation and making the integration arelatively simple task. For example, Facebook has a public softwareplatform for application development. The Appendix contains the sourcecode for a simple example implementation of the method as a Facebookapplication making use of that software.

In any integration, implementation of the method typically requires newgraphics for allowing the user to rate and view ratings for its contactsand procedures for storing and checking the rating information.Procedures for sending notifications and storing contact lists aretypically existing features of whatever the method is being integratedinto and can be easily adapted to the purpose of this method.

These and further and other objects and features of the invention areapparent in the disclosure, which includes the above and ongoing writtenspecification, with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the operation of one embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the operation of one embodiment of theinvention. A user first initiates the program 1 and is prompted to enterhis login information 3. The program automatically reads the user'sfriends/contact list(s) 5 and displays it 7. The program then checks tosee if any new friends have been added to the list since the last timethe program was run 9. If no friends have been added 10, the user cancheck and update the list for status or ranking changes 11. The programoffers an option 13 to instant message, text message, or email othercontacts not subscribed to a social networking group or to this programto join before the user terminates the program 15.

If a friend/contact has been added 16, the user can then rank orclassify the new friends 17. The contact list is then sorted accordingto user preference 19 and the modified list is now displayed 21. Thelist is then scanned for mutual interest above a specified level 23. Ifno mutual interest is found 25, an email is sent to the more interestedparty giving advice on how to entice less interested parties to date 27.If a mutual interest is found 29, the program sends a notification ofthe match to the users 31. The user can then check and update the listfor status or ranking changes 11 and the program offers an option 13 toinstant message, text message, or email other contacts not subscribed toa social networking group or to this program to join before the userterminates the program 15.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is a program integratedinto one or more social networking sites, instant messaging software, orcell phone/PDA software. Because of this, the user does not have todownload or sign up for anything. Once the integration is complete andinitiated every user of the site or software will immediately have theoption of using the present invention.

When a user loads or logs into the site or software, they will find thedisplay has changed slightly. Next to the name of each contact in their“friends list” or “buddy list” will be an icon the user can click on inorder to rate or characterize that contact by the user's level ofinterest in that contact as a romantic partner.

Because social networking sites, instant messaging software, and cellphones are so popular and because the program will be displayedprominently, high levels of participation are expected. This aspect iscritical. In order for any matching system based on mutual attraction tobe effective in locating dates, many people who know each other mustparticipate.

There will also be an option within the site or software for the user toimport additional contacts from any other instant messaging software orsocial networking sites in which the user participates, or from theuser's cell phone. The user can then view a comprehensive list of all ofthese contacts and rate them and set options for the program from thiscentral location within the user's social networking site, instantmessaging software, or cell phone. If the user is a member of more thanone site or software into which the program is integrated, the user willbe exposed to the program whenever the user uses either site orsoftware. The user will be able to manage his contact list and programoptions from each point. An option within the program allows the user toinvite contacts who are not yet a member of an integrated site orsoftware to join.

Whenever a user rates or characterizes a new contact or changes anexisting rating, the program checks each contact that the user has ratedabove a certain threshold interest level to see if that contact has alsorated the user above that threshold level. Rating information is storedby the site or messaging software just like other information about theuser, e.g. name, location, etc. However, rating information is notvisible to other people who access the user's page on the socialnetworking site or “profile” on a messaging site. Only someone who islogged in as the user can view the user's ratings. If the user isaccessing the program from a cell phone, the ratings are stored not onthe cell phone, but on a server online. This allows the program tocompare the users' ratings for matches even when their phones are off orotherwise inaccessible.

Because the program checks for matches whenever a user makes a newrating or modifies an old one, a match will always be detected as soonas it occurs. The program then notifies the users that a match hasoccurred. This notification will be sent by email, instant message, orcell phone text message, according to the preference set by each user.The notification will inform each user that a match has occurred, butwill not reveal the other user's actual rating. The notification willalso contain advertisements suggesting date locations and events.

After a match has been initially detected and the parties notified, theprogram will not send another notification for the same match unless thematch lapses (one user lowers their rating of the other below thethreshold level) and then is reestablished. Optionally, an indicator,such as an icon of some kind, may be displayed on the list beside eachuser for which a match presently exists. The indicator helps to preventa situation in which neither user received or viewed the notificationfor some reason and therefore is unaware that a match has occurred.

Within the program interface in the social networking site or software,there will be many preferences that can be set by the user. Thesepreferences allow the user to customize how the contact lists andratings are displayed and accessed, how notifications will be received,etc.

The user will also be able to access the user's combined contact listand ratings from outside any of the sites or software the program isintegrated into. The user can instead access the program through adownloadable program or a website that is just for the program itself.In this way, users will be able to access the program even when logginginto an integrated site or software is undesirable, for example forprivacy reasons, or when an integrated site of software is experiencingtechnical difficulties. This aspect of the program also allows it to beused by people who are not members of the integrated sites or software,who may download or sign up for the program directly instead.

This downloadable program or website maintains a central database of thecontact, rating, and preferences information. Having a centralizeddatabase of the information makes it easier to use with more than onesite or software. Every time the user makes a change to the informationfrom an integrated site or software, those changes are uploaded to thecentral database. Each site or software can check its data against thecentralized database each time it loads, automatically making changes toits data that the user initiated from a different access point (site orsoftware).

In an alternative embodiment, the program functions without the use of acentralized database and access point. In this way, the program entirelypiggybacks on existing site and software infrastructure. Additionalstorage and servers are not necessary, nor is maintenance of a separatewebsite.

In another embodiment, the user has the option of modifying thethreshold interest level above which matches are detected. The user maymodify this level upwards, but not downwards. This prevents users frombeing flooded with notifications regarding low interest contacts.

In an alternative embodiment, the user has the option of setting an“initiation” preference. Some people believe that, for an inter-genderrelationship, the male should always initiate contact. Users willtherefore have the option of setting a preference for male initiation orfemale initiation. In one embodiment, the user who is preferred toinitiate will receive notification some time period before the otheruser, allowing the first user to initiate contact. If the users haveconflicting preferences, they are sent simultaneous notifications. Inanother embodiment, both users receive notification at the same timeregardless, but are simply informed of the other user's preference inthe notification.

In another embodiment, the invention dispenses dating advice under somecircumstances. This feature is an option that the user can set apreference for or against. In one embodiment, dating advice is givenwithin the notification whenever a user has rated the match higher thanthe match has rated the user. This advice may include ways to initiatecontact, when to ask for a date, etc. In another embodiment, generaldating advice and first date tips are given in every notification. In athird embodiment, advice is given when a user rates a contact highly anda match is not found. This advice may be given by email, instantmessage, or cell phone text message. This advice helps the user tocreate an interest in the user by the contact.

In an alternative embodiment, users are informed when a contact theyhave rated does not have a rating for them at all. This feature allowsusers to distinguish between a contact who is not interested in the userand a contact who simply does not use the rating system. In anotherembodiment, a user may set as a preference whether other users areinformed when the user has not rated them at all.

In an alternative embodiment, the program is capable of suggestingpossible romantic interests who are not in a user's contact list. Theprogram compares a user's ranking of contacts with the rankings of otherusers of those same contacts. When a high correlation is found betweenthe contacts indicated as high interest by the first user and by anotheruser, contacts of that other user who are rated by the other user ashigh interest, but who are not on the first user's contact list, will berecommended to the first user as a person of potential interest. Thisrecommendation can be made by email, instant message, or text message.In one embodiment, this feature is an option that can be turned on oroff as one of the user's preferences.

In another embodiment, users can play matchmaker. One user can suggesttwo other users the first user knows as a possible match. The programwill then send those users a notification as with a normal match, exceptthat the notification will inform them that this match is based not onmutually indicated attraction, but on the suggestion of the matchmakinguser. Users may opt out of this feature. Users may elect never toreceive match notifications originating from matchmakers or may limitthe receipt of such notifications based on characteristics of theproposed match. For example, users might elect not to receivenotifications when the other user they are matched up with is notJewish, is under a certain height, etc. This “filtering” option islimited only by the amount of user data stored by the site or softwarethe program uses.

When one user does not receive a matchmaking notification and the otheruser does, that user will be informed that the other user elected not toreceive the matchmaking notification, but will not give the reason why.The receiving user will not know whether the other user's filteringrequirements were not met, or whether that user simply does not wish toreceive matchmaking notifications at all. Alternatively, the user mayelect to have the reason sent to the other user when a matchmakingnotification is not received due to the user's preferences.

In an alternative embodiment, the program is used for non-romanticrelationships, such as friendships or business associations. In oneembodiment, the use of the program for non-romantic relationships isentirely separate from its use for romantic relationships, involvingdifferent access points and contact lists. In another embodiment, theprogram uses one access point and contact list for both romantic andnon-romantic interests. Each contact simply has one rating for romanticinterest and one or more for non-romantic interest, such as businessinterest or friendship interest. In either embodiment, this use of theprogram functions in the same way as the use of the program for romanticrelationships, except that the rating is of a different kind of interestand the ads and type of advice that is given, if any, are adapted to theappropriate relationship.

While the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments, modifications and variations of the invention may beconstructed without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-readable non-transitory physicalstorage medium having stored thereon machine-executable code forelectronically facilitating contact between mutually interestedentities, said machine-executable code to be executed by amicroprocessor, said machine executable code which when executed by saidmicroprocessor causes the microprocessor to perform operationscomprising: causing a device to display a graphical user interface (GUI)for a first user to input a rating of the first user's level of interestin one or more respects in at least one other user, wherein the at leastone other user is from a pre-existing list; accepting the rating of thefirst user's level of interest via the GUI while not displaying thefirst user's rating to the at least one other user; and electronicallynotifying a pair of users that have rated each other above a thresholdlevel.
 2. A system for facilitating contact between mutually interestedentities, comprising: a database and one or more computing devicesprogrammed, via machine executable code, to: execute a web serverprocess, a controller process, and a database access process; whereinthe web server process receives a request and forwards a document orcontent request to the controller process and returns the requesteddocument or content, modified by the controller process; wherein thecontroller process interprets code embedded in the requested document orcontent, uses one or more social network application programminginterfaces (APIs) to import a pre-existing list, generates a result,modifies the document or content accordingly, and returns the documentor content to the web server process to be transmitted; wherein thedatabase access process provides read and write access to the databaseand retrieves data required by the controller process for any requesteddocument or content; wherein the controller process compiles a listimported from the one or more social network APIs, requests anypreviously stored ratings for the compiled list from the database accessprocess, and provides a user interface for inputting ratings for thecompiled list; wherein the controller process executes rating logic thatcommunicates input ratings of the compiled list to the database accessprocess to be stored in the database; and wherein the controller processexecutes match logic that uses ratings stored in the database to findpairs of users that have provided each other with ratings exceeding aprespecified threshold and generates notifications that alert each userof the pairs of users of a newly found match.
 3. A computer-readablenon-transitory physical storage medium having stored thereonmachine-executable code for electronically facilitating contact betweenmutually interested entities, said machine-executable code to beexecuted by a microprocessor, said machine executable code which whenexecuted by said microprocessor causes the microprocessor to performoperations comprising: causing a device to display a graphical userinterface (GUI) for a first user to input a rating of the first user'slevel of interest in one or more respects in other users from a sortedlist; accepting the rating of the first user's level of interest via theGUI while not displaying the first user's rating to the other users; andelectronically notifying a pair of users that have rated each otherabove a threshold level.
 4. The computer-readable non-transitoryphysical storage medium of claim 3, wherein the sorted list is sortedaccording to user preference.
 5. The computer-readable non-transitoryphysical storage medium of claim 4, wherein the sorted list is displayedin sorted order.
 6. A computer-readable non-transitory physical storagemedium having stored thereon machine-executable code for electronicallyfacilitating contact between mutually interested entities, saidmachine-executable code to be executed by a microprocessor, said machineexecutable code which when executed by said microprocessor causes themicroprocessor to perform operations comprising: suggesting to a firstuser other users that first user may be interested in, wherein thesuggested other users are filtered based on their location; causing adevice to display a graphical user interface (GUI) for the first user toinput a rating of the first user's level of interest in one or morerespects in at least one other user; accepting the rating of the firstuser's level of interest via the GUI while not displaying the firstuser's rating to the at least one other user; and electronicallynotifying a pair of users that have rated each other above a thresholdlevel, wherein there is a preference for female initiation.
 7. Thecomputer-readable non-transitory physical storage medium of claim 6,wherein the preference for female initiation affects at least oneelectronic notification.
 8. The computer-readable non-transitoryphysical storage medium of claim 7, wherein the preference for femaleinitiation affects information provided in the at least one electronicnotification.
 9. The computer-readable non-transitory physical storagemedium of claim 7, wherein the preference for female initiation causesthe at least one electronic notification to differ between the pair ofusers.